LOVE/SEX WARNING DISCLAIMER: This story graphically depicts a love/sexual relationship between two consenting adult women. If you are under 18 years of age or if this type of story is illegal where you live, please do not read it.

Spoilers from Kindred Spirit, Little Problems, and Looking Death in the Eye.

Part three

Janice opened her eyes to the rising sun. She felt a bit dizzy at seeing the sky all around her. It felt as if she were floating. She took a moment to adjust the she looked forward to see Diana.

"Good morning" Diana said with a smile.

"Hi, how are things going" Janice asked.

"Well if you look down there you can see Paradise Island, my home."

Janice looked down, she could see the island, it was covered with trees. The lower the plane got, the clearer she could see. There were animals on the Island. She could see people down there too, women.

"It's beautiful," She said.

The plane descended to a small open space. Janice was impressed with the way it landed. The plane didn't need a lot of room to run.

Janice gently touched Mel's face which woke the sleeping woman. Diana opened the hatch and the three got out of the plane. A few women came to welcome their princess home.

"Princess Diana" they cheered.

"It's beautiful." Mel said as she looked at her surroundings. It was like being in a exotic garden. Flower in bloom everywhere. There were bunnies rabbits all over the area. "How long have you been here?" Mel asked.

Diana looked at her and thought. "Well, I'm about two-hundred years old, and my mother is about five. We came here after Queen Penthesilea lead the Amazons to Anatolia, Armenia, and Bactria. We were eventually pushed out of the areas after the continuous battles with patriarchal warriors. It was our Goddess who found this island and she granted us immortality as long as we stay on its land."

Mel and Janice stood gaping with astonishment.

"Your immortal?" Janice asked.

"Only when I'm here, as soon as I leave the island, I am vulnerable to aging and death like everyone else. When I wear the Wonder Woman regalia, I have certain protection. My belt and bracelets were gifts from our goddess" Diana informed the duo as they walked toward the Queen's house.

The house, Janice noticed was Ionic in architecture. She looked up at the at the pediment to see a grand statue of Artemis and an other of Hekate. Columns surrounded the house holding the entablature in place. The frieze showed a great battle of the Amazon women and their victims, patriarchal warriors that lay dead at their feet.

Mel stared in disbelief. They were actually looking at a structure out of the Hellenistic period that was completely intact.

"Daughter." The approaching woman called. She was about as tall as Janice. Her hair flowed golden to the bottom of her back and she wore a long violet tunic with no sleeves. Her Green eyes shown with love and admiration as she embraced her daughter.

"Mother." Diana replied.

"You've brought visitors I see." The queen said.

"Mother this is Janice Covington and Melinda Pappas." Diana introduced.

"Janice show her your marking." Diana said.

Janice looked at Diana and Mel. They both nodded. She unbuttoned her blouse and pulled her bra down.

The queen saw the crescent moon and clasped her hands together, then laughed. She looked at Mel in question, waiting to see if she was going to show her a crescent also.

"Mother, Melinda is a descendant of Xena." Diana said, knowing her mother's thought.

"Oh Xena." She was Gabrielle's champion. "One of the greatest warriors of all times."

"Her champion?" Janice asked. "How do you know all of these things?"

"Come inside." The queen welcomed.

Inside the house there were statues of women. Janice was in awe of the pieces. They were made of marble and complete. Greek statues were usually missing body parts. Mel walked over to a pair of statues that caught her eye. Janice heard her gasp.

"What?" Janice walked over to see what Mel was looking at.

"It's you," She said.

"No, it's Gabrielle." The queen informed.

The statue was a life-size portrait of Gabrielle. She was holding her staff with both hands. Her body was slightly shifted to one side in a contrapposto style. The resemblance between the statue and Janice was remarkable. Diana knew now why Janice had looked so familiar to her.

"She's beautiful." Mel stated.

"No she's beautiful," Janice said turning to see the statue of Xena. The warrior woman had her sword in hand at her side as if she had just defeated an army. Her stoic expression was caught with perfection.

"Magnificent." Was the only word Janice could utter.

The women went into the library and sat at a circular table. The queen walked to one of the shelves and pull out a golden box. Inside the box were a bundle of scrolls. She took one out and unrolled it. She handed it to Janice.

Janice' eyes widened. "What is it?" Melinda asked.

"It's a scroll written by Gabrielle." Janice said as her eyes began to water.

"Really!" Mel's eyes widened.

Janice' handed it to Mel and she began to read:

After Xena had the baby, we decided to go back to the Amazon's. I wanted to give Eve my rite of caste and Xena agreed. But we never got the chance to see her grow up as we had lost twenty-five years of our lives when Ares froze us thinking we had been dead

Mel read the scroll aloud telling the story of Eve becoming Livia and eventually finding her way. Then becoming a queen in her own rite.

Mel dabbed at her eyes to wipe the tears. Janice still couldn't believe she was holding a scroll written by Gabrielle.

The queen handed the box to Janice and told her to go through them, she would be able to find out more about Gabrielle.

Diana turned to talk to Mel.

"You know I am also related to Xena" Diana said.

Mel looked confused, "how are you related to both of them?" she asked.

"It was said that Aphrodite put Xena into the body of a little girl that had been ill. Xena was going to help her get stronger. Gabrielle wasn't too happy about it because Xena was pregnant with her second child, Eve. Which is where your bloodline is directly from Xena. Her first child, Solan was killed a few years before. Anyway, it was about thirty years after Eve's birth that Xena and Gabrielle finally came together in a holy union. Gabrielle asked Aphrodite for a favor. They were going home to Amphipolis to see Xena's brother Toris. He rebuilt their mother's Inn and settled there. Gabrielle asked Aphrodite with Toris' permission to switch Xena and her brother for one evening. With the blessings of the Goddess, Gabrielle had become pregnant. She had a daughter, and every daughter born up until now was taught the ways of the Amazons. That is my bloodline."

"What about Janice, how come she isn't an Amazon?" Mel asked.

"Toris died a year after that, he was very old. Gabrielle wanted another baby, so she and Xena asked Vigil if he would father her a child. She had a boy, which she and Xena raised just outside of the Amazon village. They built their house on the surrounding land. Gabrielle allowed her children to choose their own paths when they got older. Her daughter decided to stay on with the Amazons, she still had rite of caste. Her son became a traveler. That would be Janice' heritage.

"So then your related to both of us" Mel asked trying to understand the consanguinity of their relationship.

"Yes, something like that" Diana replied.

"You two go ahead and look at the scrolls, I'm going to visit with my mother and my sisters. I'll have some food sent in." Diana said as she and the queen turned to leave.

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Night had fallen upon the island and millions of stars surround the sky. Diana's younger sister Drusilla came in to see that Mel and Janice were escorted to their room, to prepare for dinner.

"This is so incredible." Mel said as she got ready. There were two tunics lying on the bed awaiting the women. One was a lavender color and the other was a pale peach. "These are beautiful." Mel said as she picked up the peach colored one.

Janice picked up the other one and snorted. "Yea, right."

"Oh come on Janice put it on, you know, when in Rome." Mel chided.

"Alright." Janice said as she undressed, then slipped the tunic over her shoulders and let it fall covering just below her knees.

Mel stared with watery eyes.

"What's wrong?" Janice asked when she saw Mel's face.

"You're just so beautiful." Mel whispered. "When I look at you, my heart feels like it's gonna just burst."

"Come here." Janice called. She held out her arms and Mel walked into her embrace. Janice rubbed her back working her hand up to Mel's neck. When she had her palm on Mel's neck Janice pulled Mel's head down so that she could kiss her. Mel let Janice have control as she sighed into the kiss.

Mel could feel Janice' tight body through the thinly covered tunic. Mel's hands began to roam, first along Janice' back, then coming toward the sides she could feel the smaller woman's breasts. Janice broke from the kiss and looked over at the bed. Mel's eyes followed in agreement.

Janice took Mel's hand and led her to the foot of the bed. She slowly began to unbutton Mel's blouse. She could see Mel's chest rise and fall with an increasing rapidness. As the blouse opened, Janice reached her hands inside and encircled Mel's chest and back. She used her fingers to unfasten the back of Mel's bra, then pulled it forward. Janice moved both her hands inside the loosened bra and cupped Mel's breasts. Mel gasped at the sensational touch. Her head fell back and Janice leaned into her neck, where she placed little kisses along Mel's apex. Mel's legs gave and she sat down on the bed. Janice removed Mel's blouse and bra. Leaving the raven-haired beauty in only her skirt, nylons and shoes.

Mel kicked off her shoes as Janice pulled the skirt off Mel's legs and down to the floor. Janice placed her hands on Mel's leg and very slowly removed the nylon. Mel could feel her body begin to tingle as Janice' fingertips brushed along her calve. Mel moaned. Janice moved to the other leg and repeated the motion.

"Oh Janice." Mel breathed.

Janice looked down at Melinda who was now laying down on the bed. She was completely naked save for her white panties. Janice grinned.

Oh god what is she up too? Mel thought.

Janice placed her hands on Mel's dangling legs. With her thumbs, she slowly moved up the inside of Mel's thighs until she could feel the heat rising from Mel's center. Her thumbs traced along the panty line out toward Mel's hips and with her forefingers, she hooked the panties and pulled them down. Mel's breathing was rapid, her heart was pounding out of her chest. Janice pulled the inhibiting garment off and flung it over her head.

She leaned down over Mel's center and inhaled. A moan escaped Janice' lips. "Move up." Janice said as her voice dropped a couple of notes.

Mel raised one leg and scooted back toward the head of the bed.

Janice put her knee on the bed and in a cat-like crawl placed her body over Mel's. Her head hovered over Mel's breast. She leaned down and with her tongue flick Mel's nipple. She could hear Mel groan. "You like that huh?" Janice teased.

"Yeesss" Mel hissed.

Janice began to suckle Mel's breast. She tugged at the erect nipple and then gently bit down.

Mel made a sound that wasn't a groan and wasn't a scream. Janice smiled. She moved on to the other nipple not wanting it to feel neglected. Her hand grabbed Mel's and as their palms joined their fingers entwined with each other. Janice moved her other hand slowly down lower, over Mel's abdomen, down lower to Mel's hip, she grabbed hold of it and brought her knee up to Mel's center. The animalistic sounds that came from Mel made Janice swoon as her legs began straddling Mel's thigh.

Janice followed the trail her hand had made earlier, this time she used her lips and tongue. But instead of going toward the hip, she detoured to the darkened triangular volcano that was on the verge of eruption. Her tongue danced in ritual around the outer rim before making it's offering to the burning center.

"Oh GOD!" Mel screamed as she was on the verge of release. "Janice please."

Mel looked down and watched as Janice took her finger and put them in her mouth wetting them. She placed the tips into the spreading center, entering one finger at a time.

Mel's hips rocked with uncontrolled passion. Her cries were so loud and wild, that the moon goddess herself could possibly hear.

Slowly the quake began, it got harder and Mel cried louder. Both Mel and Janice rocked in unison.

Mel sucked in her breath as she released. Janice could feel the muscles around her fingers contract, as the molten lava poured from its core. Janice lay her head down on Mel's stomach.

"Janice." Mel gasped in a convulsive effort to breathe. "Come here." She pulled Janice up with their still locked hands.

Janice came up to face Mel. Mel raised her head up to kiss the lips of the woman she would love for the rest of her life. The two held each other tightly for what seemed like forever.

A knock at the door brought them back to the present.

"Dinner will be served in fifteen minutes." An unfamiliar voice called.

"Janice do you think anyone heard us?" Mel asked thinking it was odd how they hadn't been disturbed while expressing their love for each other.

"I think they heard you Mel." Janice laughed.

Janice got up off the bed and noticed her tunic was all ruffled and wrinkled and, well it wasn't wearable.

She grabbed a pair of pants and a shirt from her bag.

Mel however decided to wear the peach colored tunic.

"Wow, you look incredible." Janice said as she wiggled her eyebrows. "How long do we have?" she questioned.

Mel walked over and kissed Janice lightly. "After dinner, I'm going to make sure everybody hears you Janice." She whispered. Janice' ears began to turn red followed by her cheeks.